The present invention relates to touchpad pointing devices generally and to their use as an instruction and/or identification input unit in particular.
Cursor pointing devices for computers are known in the art, the most common of which is a mouse. Typically, xe2x80x9cmicexe2x80x9d were peripheral devices kept on the side of the computer and often required a pad along which to slide. With the popularity of laptop computers and their continual reductions in size and weight, other types of mice have been produced.
FIG. 1, to which reference is now made, illustrates a laptop computer 10 with a further type of cursor pointing device 12, known as a touchpad pointing device, and two selecting buttons 14. Although not shown, touchpad pointing devices can also be implemented as external devices connectable to a laptop or desktop computer.
The touchpad pointing device 12 typically is a flat pad which identifies the location of a finger, labeled 16, thereon relative to the edges of the pad (i.e. absolute) or to the previous position (i.e. relative) of finger 16. The touchpad pointing device 12 also includes hardware (not shown) which translates the current position (absolute or relative) to a position on the screen. Thus, as the finger 16 sketches a curve 20 on touchpad pointing device 12, a cursor 22 follows a similiar curve 24 on a screen 26 of laptop computer 10. When the user has brought cursor 22 to a desired location, such as above the word xe2x80x9cFILExe2x80x9d as shown, he executes the action by either pressing one of buttons 14 or tapping on touchpad pointing device 12.
The present invention is an instruction and/or identification unit which utilizes a touchpad pointing device as the input unit for receiving instruction and/or identification patterns. This is accomplished without changing any aspect of the operation of the touchpad pointing devices themselves.
There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an instruction input unit for supplying operating instructions to a machine. The unit includes a touchpad, an instruction library and a recognizer. The touchpad receives an input pattern from a user and the instruction library stores a multiplicity of operating instruction patterns. Each operating instruction pattern has an operating instruction associated therewith. The recognizer detects which of the multiplicity of operating instructions patterns the input pattern most closely matches and provides the operating instruction associated with the matched operating instruction pattern to the machine.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the machine is an appliance and can be one of a microwave oven, a washing machine and a remote control unit.
Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the recognizer also includes a handwriting recognizer for recognizing alphanumeric characters.
The present invention also incorporates all machines having instruction input units such as are described hereinabove.
There is also provided, in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, a shortcut input unit for providing telephone numbers to be dialed to a telephone. The shortcut input unit includes the touchpad, a shortcut library and a trainable recognizer. The shortcut library is capable of receiving and storing a multiplicity of shortcut patterns wherein each shortcut pattern has a telephone number associated therewith. The trainable recognizer has a training mode and a recognition mode. In the training mode, the trainable recognizer associates telephone numbers received from the user with shortcut patterns received from the user via the touchpad. In the recognition mode, the trainable recognizer detects which of the multiplicity of shortcut patterns an input pattern received from the user most closely matches and provides the telephone number associated with the matched shortcut pattern to the telephone. The user can provide the telephone numbers via a keypad or by writing the numbers on the touchpad which the trainable recognizer recognizes.
Additionally, in accordance with this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the telephone can be a cellular telephone, a wireless telephone and a desktop telephone.
The present invention also incorporates telephones having dialers and shortcut input units.
There is further provided, in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, an identification unit which includes the touchpad, an identifier library and the recognizer. The identifier library stores at least one identifier pattern and the recognizer detects if the input pattern matches one of the identifier patterns and provides an authorization signal only if a match is detected. The recognizer can be trainable, in which case, the identifier library is capable of receiving trained identifier patterns. The identifier pattern can be a signature.
Additionally, in accordance with this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit can be implemented in a lock which includes a locking mechanism which unlocks upon receipt of the authorization signal from the identification unit.
Moreover, in accordance with this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking mechanism locks a door to a door frame. The door can be part of a car, a room or any other lockable unit. The room can be a hotel guest room.
There is also provided, in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a credit card authorizer for authorizing the use of a credit card. The credit card has a memory strip which stores at least one identifier pattern. The authorizer includes the touchpad and a recognizer. The recognizer detects if the input pattern matches one of the identifier patterns and provides an authorization signal only if a match is detected.
Moreover, in accordance with this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the credit card authorizer can be implemented in an automatic teller machine.
Finally, in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a credit card writer for writing information into a memory strip of a credit card. The credit card writer includes the touchpad and a credit card imprinter which imprints the input pattern into the memory strip of the credit card.